Institute of agricultureal sciences for southern vietnam (IAS) commemorates the 100th anniversary (1925-2026)

IAS News - November 28 2025

by Bui CB

            One hundred years ago, the Indochina Institute of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences was founded in Saigon. The Institute started and has been constantly developing, closely linked to the agricultural history of the country for a century. The first director of the Institute was soil scientist Yves Henry (1875-1966). The first name was “L’Institut des Recherches Agricoles et Forestières d’Indochine”.

            We are proud to work at an Institute of Agricultural Sciences for Southern Vietnam, because this is the brain of precision agriculture in Vietnam's Growing Era.

            Every scientific work has, is, and will continue to make significant contributions to historical breakthroughs in development: “agriculture is fundamental, and food security is the top goal”.

            We must continue to answer: “Why are Vietnamese farmers poor?” even though agriculture ranks in the top 15 in the world. The time when we emphasized the factors of resources and cheap labor has passed. We are constantly improving the knowledge economy in which added value and labor productivity become the measure of Vietnamese agriculture.

            The Institute must establish the position of a 100-year-old scientific unit of national and international stature. We have been struggling to consider many criteria to build Leaders and Managers, while the content of building leading cadres with scope in many new scientific fields is the destination of a research Institute. High-quality human resources are truly an urgent need. Training must be prioritized, at the same time, creating a suitable position for young scientists after a quality training process.

            The Institute's history of human resource training has always been associated with international cooperation activities for nearly a century; especially during the period of Vietnam's deep international integration.

            The history of the Institute is also a history of close cooperation with farmer associations, localities, VAAS-affiliated research institutes and other schools and institutes. Agricultural science must be operated in “team works” due to the academic and practical, natural and social nature of agriculture.

            We appreciate the intelligence and enthusiasm of the new generation of scientists. Our young colleagues will certainly have more brilliant achievements, adding glory to the history of the oldest multidisciplinary Agricultural Science Institute of Vietnam. We always believe that you will make significant contributions to the country's innovation, make remarkable progress, and stand shoulder to shoulder with friends around the world. We always believe in that.

            THE GOLDEN AGE IS BEFORE US, NOT BEHIND US  (Shakespeare)

See: http://iasvn.org